The results -
I went to the store to buy charcoal and I noticed charcoal made from wood. It seemed like a good idea at first; the wood would produce a more natural smoke. It was considered "greener" for the libzians. It also claimed on the bag that they burned hotter than other charcoal. Well they weren't fucking kidding. The coals got so hot and so red and so happy with gigantic flames, that I couldn't stand three feet from the grill without my face and hands burning. I figured this was way too hot, so I busted out the water bottle.
I poked holes in the top of the bottle to create a spray effect. I doused the coals off and on for a few minutes. The red coal and blue flames kept making valiant comebacks. Eventually, the coal cooled off enough for me to put the damn grate on top of the coals.
Back to the steak - I generously seasoned one side of the steak with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, fresh garlic (crushed and rubbed on), thyme, and freshly ground coriander. This was my own variation of some mexican dry rub recipe I had found on the internet. It smelled delicious.
By the time I got around to putting the steak on, the coals had definitely calmed down. It still felt hot, so I was fairly confident that this steak was going to turn out good. I placed most of the coals to one side of the grill because I heard Bobby Flay say the best way to cook a steak is with indirect heat on the grill.
When I put the steak on the hot side to sear it, I expected to hear a sizzle. There was no sizzle. I expected to only keep it on the hot side for a minute before burning. There was no burning. There weren't any juices being trapped in the steak. It was going horribly wrong.
I let the steak sit on the "hot" side of the grill with two kabobs. They all cooked for about twenty minutes total. Eventually, I had a thick piece of well-done meat. My wife was expecting medium. The dry rub tasted good, but the dry steak was lackluster. Luckily, the vegetable kabobs added some much needed moisture and flavor to the steaks.
What I learned -
1. Don't use wood charcoal. It burns too hot and it shoots sparks at you.
2. Don't use a starter log to light the coal. Go buy lighter fluid when you've realized you don't have any.
3. Even though Smoky Mountain Chalets and Cabins provided the grill, don't use it on the wooden deck of your wooden cabin that's surrounded by trees. If it weren't for the rain that had fallen all day, I don't know what I would have done about that red coal that bounced off the deck when I was moving the coals around in the grill.
The End.
By the way, I think it'd be cool to have a culinary section on the board. I know tigersdroppings does it.
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